


Grudge

by Yeetlejuice



Category: SUGURI (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Deviates from Canon (Different events but a similar end to said events), Flashbacks, Mental Instability, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24360745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yeetlejuice/pseuds/Yeetlejuice
Summary: A different take on the events of Stage EX of Sora.Despite the war veteran being tired from fighting both of the other girls, she ends up fleeing at the last second. Still stuck under the hazy cloudline, her mental state deteriorates as time passes and her disdain grows.Keep in mind that this involves spoilers for both the games Sora and SUGURI.
Kudos: 4





	1. Soldier's Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The initial divergence in events. Sora slips away.

A snowy day, a hazy sky. A frigid air, a frozen landscape. 

To those unaware, this world was a wasteland, frozen solid and then frozen over once more by the harsh weather.

To those aware, they would just know that this day was a particularly stormy day in the winter.

Snow fell through the overcast skies, setting a backdrop for an encounter between three people similarly floating in the sky. One girl in a brown winter coat, with silver hair, another in a in a blue winter coat, with a rose adorned on her blonde hair, and a third girl, having blonde hair with a slight pink tinge and two noticable tufts on the top of her head.

Those who were alive in this day and age could recognize the first two. Suguri, the girl who protected the recovering planet from a second war and allowed it to heal to its fullest, and Hime, a friend Suguri made along her journey to protect the planet, who grew close to her quickly after meeting her. 

Not as many would recognize the third girl, unless they had been alive for roughly ten millennia. She was Sora, the girl who put an end to the nearly planet-destroying war 10,000 years ago by singlehandedly taking down every party involved in the conflict, in addition to seemingly sacrificing her life to take out her final foe. However, on this very day, she came to. This snowy day, with a hazy sky, a frigid air, and a frozen landscape.

Suguri and Hime were those aware, and knew this was just another winter day. Sora, however, didn't have that knowledge.

Sora was seething as she stared down the other two, her bangs covering most of her face, but not enough to fully conceal her wrathful expression. Despite wanting to put an end to the war and preferring peace in the past, she herself felt an unforgiving rage at the world at its people. To her, the planet was a wasteland; perished. And yet, people still had the nerve to fight?

She would never find it in herself to forgive them.

"You people are..."

Having been on this earth for a long while, Suguri recognized Sora.

"You're...!"

Even though she was recognized, Sora didn't stop to pay attention to that.

"Because you people.... keep on fighting...! The world turned this dark...!"

"Eh?"

Hime, though not fully understanding the situation, decided to pitch in.

"She seems a little confused..."

" _You people made the sky like this!_ "

Unable to contain herself, Sora lunged at Hime, only for Hime to swing her arm in a parrying motion as a desperate defense. It worked, knocking back the furious veteran. 

"Suguri, you stand back. I'll try to calm her down."

"I will not forgive you all!"

The resulting battle was a sight to behold. Chains, blades of light, artillery, and bullets made of pure energy were exchanged between the two, who tried their best to weave, swerve, and evade their way through the cracks and blind spots in each others' assaults.

Though seemingly stacked against her, Sora was the victor. Fighting through a war definitely improves fighting skill. Sora delivered the last blow, knocking Hime backwards through the air until she was caught by her silver-haired companion.

"Hime, let me handle this."

"...Please."

The next skirmish was arguably more intense, though that's just because the two combatants had eerily similar abilities, right up to acrobatics skill and arsenal. One could say it felt less like two different people fighting, and more like one of them fighting a copy of themself. The fight was evenly matched. 

Yet again, Sora seemed to be the winner. Suguri dashed towards her in one last desperate attack, and Sora did the same. Both ended up pushing against each other with their hands and butting heads, in one last clash to finish off the battle. Sora was weary from the two battles, and thus, was not at her strongest. Suguri, however, wasn't aiming to overpower, only to stall long enough to charge an attack that would dispel the clouds above and show Sora that the sky was blue, and the world was alive.

Sora had built up a bit of soldier's instinct from the war, however. She knew when to tell that her opponent was preparing something, and she knew when to switch to the defensive. And switch to the defensive she did. She lowered her altitude suddenly, and, while holding onto Suguri, threw her up as she descended. Still exerting force, Suguri tumbled forwards through the air and lost her focus. By the time she regained her bearings and looked for Sora, she saw that her opponent was floating backwards, slowly fleeing while still facing her.

"..."

Sora said nothing, but was breathing heavily, both from exhaustion and leftover rage. Suguri tried to move towards her and reach out, but right before she could get near, Sora dodged backwards.

"Don't... touch me! You ruined the world... you... _killed_ the world! Don't.... lay a finger on me...!"

"The world is alive and well. I'll show you if I need to prove it. Besides, you're exhausted. Please, just, stop this... we don't have to fight any more! _You_ don't have to fight any more!"

"I won't believe... your lies. No matter what you say... I'll never forgive you, and I'll never forgive anybody else. Just... quit while you're ahead."

"Hey, don't talk like tha..."

But Sora was unwilling to listen. Her heart was covered with a layer of spite and vengeance, making it difficult for words to reach it. Instead of sticking around, Sora simply dashed off into the distance, as fast as she could. Suguri would have tried going after her, but Hime returned before she could make such an attempt.

"...Even if she's confused and angry right now, you and I should rest. I thought you were the only one who could best me in a dance, and yet, she beat me easily..."

A sigh was let out after that statement, further proving Hime's exhaustion. 

"...Alright. I'm just... worried. I'm still willing to fight to protect this planet and its people, just..."

"I understand, Suguri. I'm sure she'll tire herself at some point, and then you can seek her out after resting."

"...Got it. Thanks, Hime..."

"No problem."


	2. Memories of Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora remembers a fond encounter. It only serves to anger her further.

Snow was still falling. It had only been a few hours since her initial awakening, so she didn't get too far. After dashing away, further and further into the distance, the land started to change. She found herself above a noticeably large gulf, the waters of it frozen over in the harsh, bleak cold. She would have gone farther, but while dashing, she felt her body desperately crying for her to stop, what with her muscles aching from being in use for so long, in addition to having fought a few hours ago, her lungs grasping for any air they could get, and her body gaining an uncomfortable, almost fever-like feeling of warmth to it, a telltale sign that she's been dashing for too long. As such, she stopped, taking in both air and the sights around her. 

She lowered her altitude a bit, and focused on the frozen waters. The exact view... the shape of the body of water...

This gulf was the exact same as one she came across in the past. Seeing it again reminded her of her time here, and she couldn't stop memories from coming back again...

\-----

"But if you succeed in stopping this war... I'll forgive you with a smile."

The rain was still pouring, but the battle had at least ended. Sora couldn't be more glad about that. Sham was probably the first person she ever had some sort of bond with in her life, so it hurt her heart when they fought.

Sora was about to fly off to her next destination, when Sham stopped her.

"Hey, I know it's probably not the best time to ask this, but... could you just stay here for a bit? I just wanna... catch up with each other, I guess, and there's always the chance that we might not..."

Sora knew what Sham was talking about, and stopped her before she could finish. She personally didn't want to think about that chance, just yet.

"...I understand. I'd... be fine with that. A break would be great for me..."

\-----

The two had simply opted to fly around the gulf a bit together, and pass the time with conversation, the topic moving from here to there. Although the weather was poor, and the water below them was murky, there was still some beauty that could be seen in the rhythmic way the rain hit the water's surface, and the steady sound it made upon its impact. That beauty was what Sora wanted to preserve, to save. Although her goal in fighting crossed her mind at some point, she chose to instead focus on the conversation at hand for now.

At some point... it didn't even feel like they were in a war. Just a day with lousy weather.

"Hey, Sora... if the war ends, what do you wanna do after that?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Like, y'know, you're fighting right now, but if things do come to a close, what are you gonna do in life after the war's all said and done?"

"...I don't know... everything in my life up to this point has been geared towards me fighting in the war. Everything that was done to me would be useless, and I... wouldn't have much of a reason for being the way I am. I think I'd just... lose a sense of direction and purpose."

Sora sighed. She saw that Sham was looking down with a troubled expression, and decided to add something to her statement.

"...That doesn't mean I can't find a new purpose, though..."

"That's the spirit. I'm sure you'll figure out something... even if it's something small, like just enjoying the peace you worked for and taking a well-deserved break."

Sora nodded in acknowledgement.

"...How about you, Sham? What are you aiming to do in the case that the war ends?"

"Hmm... well, I wanna say it, but it feels kind of embarassing, eheheh..."

"You can tell me. Besides, this might be your last chance, since... well, I won't say anymore."

"True... well, here goes. I want to be... an idol. You know, the kind that shows up in magazines and gets onstage, and sings songs, and performs while people watch. It's like... I wanna be there and make people happy. There's always fighting and stuff going on right now, so everybody's miserable or agitated. It's probably gonna stay that way for a bit after the war... but I'm sure seeing a cute girl perform a song everybody loves would make people happier, you know?"

"..."

"...H-Hey, stop being all silent and looking at me like that! Now I feel more embarassed..."

"...sorry, I was just thinking of what to say. Idols... aren't really my thing, but I didn't want to come off as insensitive. It's... admirable that you have a goal as benevolent as that. I should try to do something that makes people happy, too..."

"Aw, thanks! Hey, if you can't think of anything, then maybe we could both be idols together! That'd be great, right?"

"I-I... don't think I could act so cheery for so long... not to mention being up there in front of so many people, a-and..."

"There's no need to be so shy about it! Besides, I was just suggesting something. I won't push it on you too much."

"...Thanks, Sham."

\-----

...Sora snapped out of her reverie. 

The rain in her memory was replaced with the snow of the present. The water's surface in her memory was replaced with the thin layer of ice of the present. 

She felt a bit of joy upon recalling that memory, but it was soon replaced with sorrow.

Sham....

She had dreams. Ambitions. Goals that she wanted to achieve when the war was over. She could have gone and carried them out, but... the war never ended. Even though she tried so hard... peace wasn't restored. Whatever hopes and dreams Sham had were dashed without care for their owner. She never got the chance to achieve them... She probably didn't even survive long enough to achieve them. For all Sora knew, Sham could have died, those ambitions being crushed and dying with her as her life came to an end. 

...Sham probably wasn't the only one, either. So many others could have had paths they wanted to pursue and dreams they wanted to make real. So many ambitions were shattered in this war... and so many more are being shattered as it continues. 

The people of this world... she would never find it in herself to forgive them.

Her sorrow soon turned to wrath yet again. She almost considered going down to the ice and destroying it to release her anger, but she soon heard the sound of dashing, and put herself on guard.

Suguri arrived, mentally readying herself to negotiate.

"...You don't have to keep running away. If you calm down, we can talk this out without a fight. I'll even show you what the sky looks like if you agree."

Sora's composure changed. Her guard dropped for a short moment, out of sheer surprise, before coming back twice as strong.

"...I'm not... falling for that. You're just trying to... trick me, so you can win against me."

"Why would I want to win against you? I'd greatly prefer doing things without fighting."

"Why would you want to... win against me? Isn't it obvious? The war's still going. People are still fighting... there's still people dying. People with... hopes, dreams... lives they led... being crushed mercilessly. It's every person... for themselves. All because of people... like you, people who just... won't stop fighting. Even if... you're genuinely trying to stop the war..."

Sora drew her energy sword.

"...That won't happen. It won't... ever happen. I tried my damn hardest to make that happen, and yet... people are still fighting. The world is still ruined."

"It's not like that! It's nowhere near like that, alright? The war ended 10,000 years ago, so we don't need to fight."

"...S-Sure we don't. Just... give up on trying to trick me! I've already said, _I won't buy it..._!"

Sora lunged towards Suguri, swinging at her with her sword. The two engaged in battle, though this one was less equal than the last. Sora's emotion may have caused her to put more effort into her attacks, but at the same time, it blinded her, causing her to be severely less accurate, and more open to retaliation. Eventually, Sora took enough damage, and floated in one place, breathing heavily. If she were on the ground, she would have been hunched over.

"Now you can't resist... so just let me take your hand and show you the sky."

Suguri tried grabbing Sora's hand, but before that could happen, Sora swung her blade at Suguri, causing her to recoil in pain and get knocked back.

"The sky's just the same... it'll always be the same. Always... gloomy, always p-painted in that.... horrid tone of pitch black."

"That's..."

"...Please, stop trying to get me to believe you... i-it won't work. Just... give up... _L-Leave me alone_."

Before Suguri could respond, Sora had started to dash away, into the distance. Suguri stopped and thought to herself for a few moments, considering how to approach things from this point onwards. After coming up with an idea, she dashed onwards through the sky, following Sora.


	3. The World's Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora hits her lowest point of instability, but soon recovers.

Sora flew through a more mountainous area, weaving through its valleys and passing over its plateaus. As much as she tried calming down, she just... couldn't. Her rage grew and grew the more she thought things over. Each thought reminded her of something that fueled her spite. At some point, she tried blowing off some steam just by hitting a few cliffsides and shooting some boulders. It wouldn't be too much.

\-----

A blade of energy cleaved through a huge chunk of rock, slicing it in two halves that fell apart. Sora took a moment and just breathed, desperately trying to process what was happening. This was the seventh or so rock that she cut apart... at least, she went with that. She lost count of how much she destroyed after the first one. Part of her wanted to stop, but, it was satisfying to break, to destroy. It was the only way she could get her anger out. 

She realized she was slowly picking up on destructive tendencies, akin to ones of her final foe. It made her feel worse, but she couldn't keep herself from declining further.

At some point, she didn't bother to stop, or even contemplate stopping. After all, the world had already died. Causing destruction wouldn't make things too much worse. Besides, she tried peace. She gave the world the chance to stop the fighting. But when she woke up, the skies were still dark, and the world froze over.

The world didn't choose peace. It chose war and destruction, making her efforts all for naught. In the end, she was just giving the world what it wanted. Was she so wrong to do that?

The people of this world, the world itself... she would never find it in herself to forgive them. It's not like that mattered, though. The world would never try to do anything for forgiveness, anyways.

\-----

It was after demolishing an entire hill that Sora was finally found by Suguri. To say the latter girl was upset would be an understatement.

"...Why? Why are you doing this?"

"...I tried... I t-tried to give this world the option of peace... but it refused. Can't... you s-see?"

"That... doesn't mean you have to wreck the land itself, though! Even if the world is hurt, it can recover! Any wound can heal with the right methods!"

"...I'm... just giving the world... what it wants. It refused peace... and it chose r-ruin instead... this is what it wants. Hell... this is... what it's always wanted... I was raised and m-modified... to fight. Everyone... wanted me to fight. To hurt. To _destroy_. I'm just... accepting that request... that o-order... Going against it was.... hopeless, anyways..."

"You're just giving up like that? You took the right path and strived for peace, but now you're just giving up?"

"I'm not... giving up. I'm just doing... wh-what was asked for. The world... wants me to raze it. So I'll... destroy it... annihilate it... _break it_.... **burn it**."

_**"Just listen to yourself!"** _

Suguri's raised tone of voice and the forceful way she delivered it was enough to startle Sora. 

_"You fought long and hard to save this world. None of the warring sides were left. Everything is fine, and now you're going to ruin it all again. You fought to stop someone who was going to destroy the world, and now you're following in her very footsteps."_

Sora didn't respond... she couldn't respond. She didn't even move, she just stared off into the distance as if shaken to her very core.

"...I'll show you the sky. Then there'll be no need to be all agitated anymore."

Suguri floated over, and took Sora's hand, who was still in her stupor. She dashed, upwards through the clouds, holding onto Sora's hand tightly.

As soon as Sora came to, they had already risen above all the clouds.

\-----

The sun hung high in the sky, shining down upon the thick layer of clouds obscuring the land below from view. Although the air at this altitude was cold, the warmth of the sun's rays could still be felt. Sora initially pulled back from Suguri's grasp. She battle-stanced, and gritted her teeth. As soon as she reached for her blade, however, she noticed the rest of her surroundings.

She saw the white of the cloud's tops, the blue of the skies around her. She felt the cool air around her, the sunlight from above shining on her.

She breathed. The air was clean. It made her feel like she was always out of breath until just now. 

And for some time... Sora simply floated in place. Taking in the fresh air, and the sights before her.

The veil of rage that was once around her heart seemed to dissolve. Her stance clearly shifted, her breath steadying as she moved her hand away from her weapon, her shoulders dropping as a gust of wind blew at her hair, pushing away her bangs and exposing her eyes. Though usually seemingly neutral, it was easy to see emotion in them. This time was no different. 

Joy could be seen in them as tears welled up. The war being over... wasn't a lie. It was true, more true than she ever thought at first. In the end... her efforts weren't for nothing. It was put to an end. No more meaningless fighting, no more countless deaths. No more crushed hopes, no more pervasive misery.

She finally found herself relaxing as a few tears slid down her face silently. Then, she slowly started to lower in the air. The emotion she was feeling made it hard to focus on levitating. It was too intense for her to regain composure, though. Were it not for Suguri catching her and holding onto her hand, she would have fallen through the clouds. 

"It... really is blue... I've only seen it like this for a single moment, but... I've always wanted to see it again. It's so... endlessly wide. Thanks... for showing it to me..."

"I could give you some thanks, too. It's only because of your fighting that the world is like this. The dream of peace that you protected and fought for... it spread across the whole planet."

"And now... it's alive again... as you said before."

"Exactly."

...Her tears let up for a short bit of time, and then came back. Although joy was still in her eyes, a bit of remorse was mixed in, now, too. She fell into a fury simply because of some hazy weather. If she had only trusted the other girl, she wouldn't have flown off. She wouldn't have been so enraged... She wouldn't have almost started to destroy the planet she worked so hard to save. She thought her work was undone, but if the other girl didn't stop her, she would have been the one to undo it, herself. All because of some tiny misconception.

"...Hey. You're lowering more. Is something wrong?"

"I-I.... I'm sorry for causing... all this trouble.... for not listening to you and believing you... and for almost wrecking the world again, just because of some... _silly_ little mistake... I just..."

"...Hey, you don't need to say anymore. You just got unlucky with the day you woke up on. I've already forgiven you, and I'm sure everyone else will, too. Besides, you've dealt with a lot in the past. It's perfectly understandable if you aren't able to trust others easily. So there's no need to be so hard on yourself."

"...Thanks."

The sentiment of forgiveness assured her, and reminded her of something.

Before, she wasn't able to find it in herself to forgive the people of this world. Now, though, she can tell that nothing was done by the people of this world that needed forgiveness.

Sora smiled a bit, the tears in her eyes fading. Suguri noticed, and gave her a smile back.

"Oh, by the way... I'm really sorry to ask this, but I can't remember your name. It's been so long since they told me. So, will you tell me your name?"

"...It's Sora."

"That's a nice name... I'm Suguri."

The two spent some more moments in the sky, appreciating the view while passing the time with conversation. They talked about things like how the world recovered, what happened while Sora was unconscious, and what the planet is like, now. At some point, Suguri offered Sora to stay for a while at the house she lived in with some other housemates, and Sora accepted the offer. The two descended after a few minutes, but before they went below the clouds again, Sora stared straight up. A single thought crossed her mind.

_In the end... the world did choose peace._


End file.
